| Summary: | Sea surface dimethylsulfide (DMS) concentrations were determined in Baffin Bay and parts of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago during the summers of 2017 (July-August) and 2018 (July). More than 3500 DMS measurements were obtained using a mass spectrometer coupled with a cryogenic trap and a gaseous exchange membrane (ACT-MIMS). These measurements were performed alongside continuous quantification of sea surface salinity (SSS), sea surface temperature (SST), fluorescence (proxy for Chlorophyll a (Chl a)), photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and discrete measurements of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP). Concentrations of DMS varied over 2 orders of magnitude, from ca. 0.2 to 43.0 nmol L-1 in 2017, and from ca. 1.6 to 55.0 nmol L-1 in 2018. Surface water DMS hotspots (> 10 nmol L-1 ) were observed in association with hydrographic frontal structures, as well as in high productivity coastal waters. In the open water of northern Baffin Bay, an increasing west-to-east gradient of DMS concentrations was positively correlated with SSS, SST and Chl a, suggesting that upper ocean dynamics of DMS are linked to the physicochemical properties and biological signature of water masses in this sector. High DMS concentrations were observed at the ice-edge of ponded first-year ice providing further evidence to the increasingly recognized role sea ice plays in the cycling of marine DMS. In the northern Labrador Sea and Davis Strait, DMS exhibited day-night trends of 2 orders of magnitude with highest concentrations at night and midday minimums. Although it is possible these results were influenced by other factors, concentrations of DMS decreased with increasing PAR in 2017 as well as in 2018. These results suggest that, in some regions, DMS concentrations may be characterized by large (> 10 nmol L -1 ) and rapid (< 24 h) variations that would be neglected by data interpolation where in situ data are still sparse. The presence of localized DMS hotspots demonstrates the potential of using high-resolution automated ...
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